


Shared Warmth

by StargazingAtWords (TheLonelyJournalKeeper)



Series: NaLi Fluff Fest 2016 [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Huddling For Warmth, Late Night Conversations, NaLi - Freeform, NaLi Fluff Fest, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 21:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6676945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelyJournalKeeper/pseuds/StargazingAtWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been years since they last saw each other in person. It’s about time Lisanna paid Natsu a visit. Things don’t go to plan when the heating shuts off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shared Warmth

Lisanna had some time ago learned one of life’s unfortunate truths.

Time moves people apart. It’s simply a fact. If you wait long enough, something will separate two people be it by distance or difference of opinion or death.

In the case of Lisanna and her best friend Natsu Dragneel, it was distance that separated them.

It felt like forever ago now, but they had been close childhood friends once before they’d gone their separate ways. Opportunities had been presented and choices had been made.

Lisanna went south to study the wildlife while Natsu went north for his own reasons, chief among them was a possible lead on his missing father. Natsu had liked it up there and got along well with the residents and so he stayed.

But even though time had separated them, they stayed in touch. The two of them were stubborn that way.

It had been years since they’d seen each other in the flesh and Lisanna missed having him around all the time, but they Skyped often and thought about each other even more.

Natsu was one of maybe three people Lisanna couldn’t move around in her brain for long without bumping into, the other two being her siblings who had raised her.

One day, Lisanna returned from work and settled down to relax. She took off her hat and grabbed a drink of water and brushed sweaty hair out of her face. It had been exceptionally hot that day and she’d spent much of it outdoors.

Her ancient computer began to emit the familiar sound of an incoming Skype call and she hurried to answer it, knowing who it would be even before she looked.

Upon accepting the call, she became aware of two things: to her eyes at least, she looked a bit of a mess with her face flushed and sweaty and she was wearing a ratty tank top. Natsu didn’t appear to care one way or the other how she looked, but she still found it somewhat off-putting. The second thing she became aware of was the sharp contrast between the two of them. While she was quite clearly in some place hot, Natsu was dressed for the cold.

It almost made her laugh to see him bundled up against the cold while she was sweltering in her poorly air-conditioned apartment.

“Hey Natsu,” she said brightly. “Heating out again?” His heating was about as shoddy as her air conditioning and his complaints about the handyman’s lack of handiness and helpfulness was a frequent topic of conversation.

“Hey Lisanna,” he grinned. “What gave it away?”

“The sweatshirt,” she said pleasantly. “Also the winter hat. It’s cute by the way. You should move down here. We don’t have any problems with heating.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I can tell. You look hot.” He paused as he heard what he just said. “Wait! No! That’s not what I-”

Lisanna meanwhile was laughing uproariously. “I know what you meant.”

“You should move up here instead,” he suggested. “Our air conditioning works.”

She snorted. “You don’t need air conditioning. It’s always freezing up there! Who would want to live there?” She teased.

“You’re just saying that because you couldn’t survive the cold,” he teased back.

Lisanna feigned offense. “I could too!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it!”

Tension had been building between the two of them for years now and Lisanna would love to see him again but even she was surprised by what she said next. “Okay then. I will!”

“Really?” He asked, surprised, but not disbelieving. “How are you gonna do that?”

“I’ll visit you!” she said, eyes sparkling.

“Whoa! Really?”

“Yeah!” She said, determined now. “I think I could make this happen. I got a bonus at work recently. I was going to put it into savings…but it’s been too long since I’ve seen you in person!”

He grinned. “It has.”

“You’ll let me stay at your house, right?” She asked. “I’m not paying for a hotel room!”

“Of course!” He said.

It’s funny how an idea can take hold and gain momentum with very little outside help.

Before they knew it plans were made then solidified.

Lisanna was able to buy some cheap airplane tickets and then she was counting down the days until she would see her best friend in person for the first time in years. She was fond of her current home, of course, but she hadn’t been able to find anyone in it she cared for as much as her childhood friend. It was a shame really, Lisanna was a sociable person, but there was no one here she was extremely close with.

And so it was that on the day of her flight, she was buzzing with excitement. Not even the prospect of the long flight could deter her. She sent him a quick message before she left: On my way now. See you soon!

She spent a good few minutes debating whether a heart emoji would be too much before settling for a big grin.

She’d packed the night before so all that was left was to make it to the airport. She didn’t live in a large town so the place wasn’t too busy which was a relief.

She managed to board the plane relatively hassle free and excitement hardly dampened.

It was a long flight to her layover but Lisanna kept herself entertained, reading or watching the other passengers or daydreaming about what it would be like when she arrived.

When her flight reached its destination, she took the opportunity to change into some warmer clothes. The temperature was already dramatically colder this far north.

A while later she had boarded another plane, one which would take her to her final destination. She could hardly wait.

Though in reality this flight was shorter than the previous one, it felt like much longer. She was gazing out the window, watching the land pass underneath the plane and wishing time would move faster, when she fell asleep.

Excitement woke her up quickly some time later when the flight attendant announced they would be landing soon. With consciousness came a surprisingly flicker of nerves.

Never mind the Skyping, it had still been years since they’d seen each other in person and Lisanna suddenly felt nervous. She knew it was irrational but she couldn’t help it.

Fortunately, she was able to bury the anxiety under waves of excitement, thinking about how much fun this would be, the look on his face when she’d told him when to expect her, how nice it would be to be able to touch him, card her fingers through his pink hair…was it as fluffy as it looked?

Her thoughts continued in this vein for an embarrassingly long time before she snapped herself out of it.

 _How silly_ , she thought. _Thinking about my best friend like that!_

She knew she’d had a crush on him when they were younger, but she rather thought she’d gotten over it.

It hasn’t occurred to her until that moment that perhaps the crush hasn’t faded and instead had turned into something more complicated.

Sincere fondness, honest affection…those things she knew she felt. And yes, she knew she thought him good-looking…

But love?

Well of course, she _loved_ him, but it hadn’t occurred to her that she might love him in that way.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the popping of her ears as the plane began its descent.

Natsu lived in an out of the way part of a large town, but Lisanna had allotted just enough money for a taxi ride in the general direction.

But before that, she had to arm herself against the cold. If she thought it had been chilly at her last stop, it was positively freezing here.

It came as quite a shock to her to see snow dusting the ground. Back home, it never snowed, but this far north is snowed quite often. She shivered through the thickest clothes she had brought which weren’t that warm to be fair. She hadn’t had a need for warm clothing in quite some time.

Fortunately she was able to purchase a warmer coat. It felt strange to be so bundled up, but it helped keep the chill away.

The taxi deposited her near Natsu’s house. She would walk the rest of the way. Thankfully, she’d packed fairly light.

Her heart rate pounded as her destination came into view.

Then her heart almost stopped. There he was. She could see him in the doorway and he must’ve been able to see her too because the door swung open. He stuck his head out the door and waved. “Hey Lisanna!”

“Natsu!” She beamed. She picked up the pace and abandoned her luggage at the door so she could sweep him into a hug.

“You made it!” He said into her hair. “You’re really here!”

She pulled back, feeling a little bit awkward and picked up her luggage again. “I am,” she agreed. “It’s been so long. You look better without all the pixels,” she teased.

He actually looked really good in person. It was so nice to be able to feel his tangible presence.

He laughed. “I see you’ve survived the cold so far.”

“You bet,” she said. “B-but just the same, can we go inside?” She discreetly rubbed some feeling back into her fingers.

“Sure!” He said, picking up her luggage easily and carrying into the house. It was small and…perhaps lived-in would be the best word to describe it. It gave off the distinct impression of having recently been cleaned by someone who was not really sure how to clean. Lisanna appreciated the effort.

“Um where will I be sleeping?” Lisanna asked. She hoped that wasn’t rude, but she had been up for like fourteen hours at this point and she would like to have a place to put her stuff down at least.

“Do you want the couch or my bedroom?”

“Oh I wouldn’t want to kick you out of your room.”

“It’s fine,” he said cheerfully. “I can sleep anywhere.”

She giggled. “Still.”

“Okay, the couch it is,” he grinned. “If you’re sure.”

“Slightly less sure now, but okay.”

They spent another half an hour talking (“How was the flight?” “Good actually!”) and teasing each other (“I hope your heating doesn’t break down again while I’m here.” “Pffft heating is for the weak.”) and playing with Happy (Natsu’s cat) before Lisanna crashed from jet lag and fell asleep.

She was awake again only a few hours later by her uncontrollable shivering. The house had been a bit on the chilly side earlier, but now it was as cold as the outdoors and Lisanna was dressed in (cool, light) pajamas.

She pulled the blanket around her more tightly. “N-natsu? What’s going on?”

“I think you jinxed it, Lisanna,” Natsu said. “The heating’s broken.”

Her stomach lurched in dismay. “Oh my gosh! Really?”

“Yeah,” he said. “But it’s no problem. This happens all the time.”

“You should really get that fixed!” She pulled her knees up to her chest to conserve warmth.

“It’s not for lacking of trying!” He said. “I’m pretty sure the only handyman who lives near here hates me. The feeling’s mutual actually.”

She giggled. “You should introduce me. I want to have words with him.”

He laughed. “That would be something.”

“C-can we maybe get warmer though first?” She stammered. “It’s freezing.”

“Right. Action stations! Happy?” Amazingly, the cat came when called. He addressed the cat seriously. “It’s another Alpha Blue. Keep Lisanna warm while I make a fire.”

Lisanna smiled as the cat hopped up onto the sofa beside her. She stroked him obligingly.

It was fortunate Natsu’s house had a fireplace what with the dodgy heating. He lit it expertly and Lisanna had to admit there was something attractively domestic about that. The scene (minus the cold) was very homey. Surprisingly comfortable.

When the fire was roaring, Lisanna began to feel less like she would freeze to death.

“Are you okay?” Natsu asked.

“F-fine,” she said.

“Really? Because you look freezing?” His tone was somewhere between amused and concerned.

“Well it never gets this cold where I live,” she said. “I don’t know how you stand it.”

“I generate my own heat,” he said seriously. The firelight danced across his face. In that moment she almost believed him. He looked like he was one with the fire with flames reflecting in his onyx eyes.

“Like a f-furnace?” She asked.

“More like a dragon,” he informed her. “I’ve got a fire in my belly.”

She laughed. “You’re a dork.”

“Am not,” he said. “Here I’ll prove it.” He took a seat beside her on the couch (upsetting Happy who scampered off) and wrapped his arms around her. It was dark but for the light of the fire and somehow that made the intimate gesture seem totally natural.

His embrace warmed her inside and out.

“This is nice,” she said. “But how does this prove you’re not a dork?”

“Cos I’m just like a dragon,” he said as though it was obvious. “That means I wasn’t being a dork. I was telling the truth.”

“If you’re a dragon, what am I? The treasure you’re guarding?”

He blushed. “Yeah…maybe.”

“Or a princess you stole?” She went on, melting into him.

“A tropical dragon from the south?” He suggested.

“Ooh a tropical dragon. Tell me more since you’re clearly a dragon expert,” she grinned.

“I’ll have you know I am _the_ expert on dragons out of everyone in town.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! You’re a tropical dragon or a warm water dragon and they come in lots of different colors. You’ve got light blues scales but they bleach to white when it’s really hot out and…”

Lisanna didn’t know when she fell back to sleep. It could’ve been an eternity later for all she knew. She just knew she felt so very relaxed, encircled by warmth and lulled by the steady rhythm of Natsu’s voice. Occasionally she would say something in reply, but mostly she listened and nodded along and smiled. At some point, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The fire was ash when she woke up but she was momentarily surprised to find herself still warm. That is until she became aware of the “dragon” keeping her warm.

She was reluctant to leave the cocoon of warmth as she wasn’t sure if the heating had been fixed. Presumably not unless it had done so on its own.

Eventually she steeled her nerves and stood up, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her. She bit back a hiss as her bare feet hit cold floor.

Fortunately Natsu was a deep sleeper and neither her movement nor her hissing had woken him. To keep the cold from doing so, she laid a spare blanket over top of him and spared a moment to smile at his peaceful sleeping expression.

From there she had two orders of business. The first was easily accomplished as the house was quite small and the bathroom easy to locate. She found a delightful surprise in there too: a warm black robe which she immediately donned (it dwarfed her considerably which she put down to the fact it was most likely Natsu’s). If she could just find some slippers, preferably the kind with fake fur on the inside, she’d be golden. In lieu of slippers, she put on two pairs of socks.

The second order of business was a little more complicated, but she thought the results would be worth it. She wasn’t particularly surprised to find that the kitchen wasn’t very well-stocked, but it was a little disappointing.

“Oh well,” Lisanna said to herself. “I guess I’ll have to get creative.”

She was able to round up the ingredients for some decent omelets and was cooking away merrily when Happy wandered in, perhaps drawn by the scent of food cooking. She fed him a few treats she’d found while rummaging through the cupboards.

Once she was finished cooking, she unearthed the dining room table from underneath the pile of knickknacks (which she carefully set aside) and set the table for breakfast, feeling rather pleased with herself. Hopefully the smell of food would wake him up.

It seemed to work as he stumbled into the room a few moments later, apparently led by his nose as his eyes were still shut and with the blanket still around him.

“Good morning!” Lisanna said, cheerfully. “I made breakfast. The heating’s still out, by the way. You must be cold.”

He blinked at her. “You’re wearing my bathrobe.”

“Oh right. Like I said the heating’s still out. It’s cold in here! Do you need it back?”

“You can keep it…you said you made food?”

“Uh huh! You didn’t have much in so I made the best with what I had.”

He woke up considerably once he began to eat. “Wow!” He said. “This is great!”

“Oh you know,” Lisanna said, pleased. “It’s okay.”

“You’ve gotten better at cooking since last time I saw you.”

“I should hope so. It’s been years. I see you’re still not a morning person,” she giggled.

“It’s hard to get up and moving when it’s this cold,” he complained.

“Oh so you’re not immune to the cold after all.” She said.

“It doesn’t count when the heating’s out.”

* * *

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Lisanna scurried about the house, gathering up all of her things that had been spread out over the course of that week and thinking about all that had happened. She would be sad to go, even more so than she had expected she would be.

She’d grown used to the small house in its state of clutter and mild disrepair. She’d grown used to walking up with Natsu near her. (The heating had been fixed after breakfast on that first day, but they’d slept close anyways. [The obvious solution to the bed problem was for them to share Natsu’s .]) She’d grown used to always having Happy underfoot and to sharing breakfast in the mornings.

She’d met all of Natsu’s friends (or a good many of them, he seemed to be friends with everyone in town) and found them all charming. Even the hated handyman had seemed a good man.

By the end of the week, she had even grown used to the cold though she wouldn’t admit to it. By the end of the week, she was starting to wish she could stay forever.

But that wasn’t in the plan. Her vacation time was almost up. She needed to go back to work, and she’d already bought the plane tickets that would take her back.

Back home, to the sweltering heat, the work, the townsfolk who were nice enough…

At least Natsu would be back to see her off shortly. He’d had something for work he’d been unable to get out of though Lisanna wasn’t entirely sure what it was. He seemed to work in an odd mix of jobs that was best summed up as ‘unconventional problem solving.’

Lisanna finished packing and set her things by the door. She idly played with Happy, lost in thought. She hoped she could visit again sometime…or Natsu could visit her?

The door burst open, letting in a gust of cold air and Natsu.

Lisanna looked up at him and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey! Oh you’re all packed…”

“Yep,” she said. “Just waiting for you before I leave…”

“Oh,” he said again. “You really have to leave?”

“Awww Natsu…Yeah, I do. I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome-“

“You wouldn’t.”

“-and I’ve got to get back. I’ve got work and…stuff.”

“Don’t you wanna stay?”

“Oh Natsu, of course, I do. But I’ve got to go.”

“Hang on.” He grabbed her hand.

“What is it?” She said. “Oh do you want your sweatshirt back? I forgot I was wearing it.”

Sometime during her stay, Natsu had let her borrow his sweatshirt as she was inadequately prepared for the cold, but since she was going back south, she thought he might want it back. She made to unbutton her coat.

“No!” he said. “You can keep it um…I just wanted to…”

He kissed her. She dropped her luggage and kissed him back.

“I’ll miss you,” he said when they pulled part.

“I’ll miss you too,” she said, a hand lingering by his face. “Let’s make a promise to see each other again soon.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s do that.”

* * *

The flights back were the worst of her life. It felt like everything that could go wrong went wrong. Even worse was that knowledge that every moment was bringing her closer and closer to her old life.

When she stepped off the plane, something struck her. It was too hot. She shucked off her outer layers, including Natsu’s sweatshirt.

When she arrived back home, she collapsed in her chair, feeling exhausted. She booted up her computer anyways. She had something important to check.

Skype pinged as it connected to the internet.

Natsu Dragneel: hello?

Lisanna quickly typed back a reply. _hi! I made it back home safe <3_

Then she hopped on the internet, searching for possibilities with growing excitement.

 _I could actually do this,_ she thought.

Skype pinged.

Natsu Dragneel: :D great

Lisanna Strauss: hey natsu if i come back how long will you let me stay?

Natsu Dragneel: forever

And so they set about planning their forever.


End file.
